And a deal secured April 27 with Silver Eagle Distributors quickly expanded the reach of east downtown's 8th Wonder Brewery.

Co-founder Ryan Soroka said 8th Wonder, which had its own person making all sales and deliveries its first two years in business, saw the number of retail accounts increase by about 50 percent immediately upon signing with Silver Eagle. Its lower-alcohol Dome Faux'm cream ale also is now available on draft in the nearby BBVA Compass Stadium and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands.

Soroka said he views his products as "craft beer for the home team" and hopes to have Dome Faux'm - whose name, like 8th Wonder, pays homage to the Astrodome - available inside Minute Maid Park sometime this summer. Already, he said, fans in Astros gear make the brewery at 2202 Dallas a pregame stop, and the taproom has been open to the public during Rockets playoff games.

But making the beers available inside the city's professional sports stadiums proved "an uphill battle," Soroka said. He said 8th Wonder had approached all of them with no luck. The backing of Silver Eagle proved critical.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

In a news release issued earlier this week, B-52 co-founder Chad Daniel said brewery representatives met with a number of wholesalers before determining, "Ben E. Keith was the obvious choice for us given their knowledge and passion for the product along with a proven track record."

Like most craft breweries starting out, B-52 and 8th Wonder were selling their beer directly to retail accounts without having to go through and share revenue with a middle agent. Soroka said as 8th Wonder began to grow, the company decided not to expand in-house distribution and to instead invest more in its product and the visitor experience at its brewery.